TExES 113 English Language Arts and Reading/Social Studies 4-8

Domain I — Language Arts, Part I: Oral Language, Early Literacy

Development, Word Identification Skills and Reading Fluency

Competency 001 (Oral Language): The teacher understands the importance of

oral language, knows the developmental processes of oral language and provides
a variety of instructional opportunities for students to develop listening and
speaking skills.

The beginning teacher:

A. Knows basic linguistic concepts (e.g., phonemes, segmentation) and

developmental stages in acquiring oral language, including stages in
phonology, semantics, syntax and pragmatics and recognizes that individual
variations occur.
B. Knows characteristics and uses of informal and formal oral language
assessments and uses multiple, ongoing assessments to monitor and
evaluate students’ oral language skills.
C. Provides language instruction that acknowledges students’ current oral
language skills and that builds on these skills to increase students’ oral
language proficiency.
D. Plans, implements and adapts instruction that is based on informal and
formal assessment of students’ progress in oral language development and
that addresses the needs, strengths and interests of individual students,
including English-language learners.
E. Recognizes when oral language delays or differences warrant in-depth
evaluation and additional help or intervention.
F. Knows how to provide explicit, systematic oral language instruction and
supports students’ learning and use of oral language through meaningful and
purposeful activities implemented one-to-one and in a group.

G. Selects and uses instructional materials and strategies that promote

students’ oral language development; that respond to students’ individual
strengths, needs and interests; that reflect cultural diversity; and that build
on students’ cultural, linguistic and home backgrounds to enhance their oral
language development.
H. Understands relationships between the development of oral language and
the development of reading and provides instruction that interrelates oral
and written language to promote students’ reading proficiency and learning
(e.g., preview-review, discussion, questioning).
I. Knows similarities and differences between oral and written language and
how to promote students’ awareness of these similarities and differences.
J. Selects and uses instructional strategies, materials, activities and models to
strengthen students’ oral vocabulary and narrative skills in spoken language
TExES 113 English Language Arts and Reading/Social Studies 4-8

and teaches students to connect spoken and printed language.

K. Selects and uses instructional strategies, materials, activities and models
to teach students skills for speaking to different audiences for various
purposes and for adapting spoken language for various audiences, purposes
and occasions.
L. Selects and uses instructional strategies, materials, activities and models
to teach students listening skills for various purposes (e.g., critical listening
to evaluate a speaker’s message, listening to enjoy and appreciate spoken
language) and provides students with opportunities to engage in active,
purposeful listening in a variety of contexts.
M. Selects and uses instructional strategies, materials, activities and models to
teach students to evaluate the content and effectiveness of their own spoken
messages and the messages of others.
N. Knows how to promote students’ development of oral communication skills
through the use of technology.

Competency 002 (Early Literacy Development): The teacher understands the

foundations of early literacy development.

The beginning teacher:

A. Understands the significance of phonological and phonemic awareness

for reading and typical patterns in the development of phonological and
phonemic awareness and recognizes that individual variations occur.
B. Understands elements of the alphabetic principle (e.g., letter names,
graphophonemic knowledge, the relationship of the letters in printed words
to spoken language) and typical patterns of students’ alphabetic skills
development and recognizes that individual variations occur.

C. Understands that comprehension is an integral part of early literacy.

D. Understands that not all written languages are alphabetic and that many
alphabetic languages are more phonetically regular than English and knows
the significance of this for students’ literacy development in English.
E. Understands that literacy acquisition generally develops in a predictable
pattern from prereading (emergent literacy) to conventional literacy and
recognizes that individual variations occur.
F. Understands that literacy development occurs in multiple contexts through
reading, writing and the use of oral language.
G. Knows characteristics of informal and formal literacy assessments
(e.g., screening devices, criterion-referenced state tests, curriculum-based
reading assessments, informal reading inventories, norm-referenced tests).
TExES 113 English Language Arts and Reading/Social Studies 4-8

H. Knows how to select, administer and use results from informal and formal
assessments of literacy acquisition.
I. Knows how to use ongoing assessment to determine when a student needs
additional help or intervention to bring the student’s performance to grade
level, based on state content and performance standards for reading in the
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).
J. Analyzes students’ errors in reading and responds to individual students’
needs by providing focused instruction to promote literacy acquisition.
K. Selects and uses instructional materials that build on the current language
skills of individual students, including English-language learners, to promote
development from emergent literacy to conventional literacy.

Competency 003 (Word Identification Skills and Reading Fluency): The teacher
understands the importance of word identification skills (including decoding,
blending, structural analysis and sight word vocabulary) and reading fluency
and provides many opportunities for students to practice and improve word
identification skills and reading fluency.

The beginning teacher:

A. Understands that many students develop word analysis skills and

reading fluency in a predictable sequence and recognizes that individual
variations occur.
B. Understands differences in students’ development of word identification skills
and reading fluency and knows instructional practices for meeting students’
individual needs in these areas.
C. Understands the connection of word identification skills and reading fluency
to reading comprehension.

D. Knows the continuum of word analysis skills in the statewide curriculum and
grade-level expectations for attainment of these skills.
E. Knows how students develop fluency in oral and silent reading.
F. Understands that fluency involves rate, accuracy and intonation and knows
the norms for reading fluency that have been established in the Texas
Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for various age and grade levels.
G. Knows factors affecting students’ word identification skills and reading
fluency (e.g., home language, vocabulary development, learning disability).
H. Understands important phonetic elements and conventions of the English
language.
I. Knows a variety of informal and formal procedures for assessing students’
word identification skills and reading fluency on an ongoing basis and
uses appropriate assessments to monitor students’ performance in these
TExES 113 English Language Arts and Reading/Social Studies 4-8

areas and to plan instruction for individual students, including English-

language learners.
J. Analyzes students’ errors in word analysis and uses the results of this
analysis to inform future instruction.
K. Applies norms and expectations for word identification skills and reading
fluency, as specified in the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS),
to evaluate students’ reading performance.
L. Knows how to use ongoing assessment of word identification skills and
reading fluency to determine when a student needs additional help or
intervention to bring the student’s performance to grade level, based on
state content and performance standards for reading in the Texas Essential
Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).
M. Knows strategies for decoding increasingly complex words, including using
the alphabetic principle, structural cues (e.g., prefixes, suffixes, roots) and
syllables and for using syntax and semantics to support word identification
and confirm word meaning.
N. Selects and uses instructional strategies, materials, activities and models
to teach students to recognize high-frequency irregular words, to promote
students’ ability to decode increasingly complex words and to enhance word
identification skills for students reading at different levels.
O. Selects and uses appropriate instructional strategies, materials, activities and
models to improve reading fluency for students reading at different levels
(e.g., having students read independent-level texts, engage in repeated
reading activities, use self-correction).
TExES 113 English Language Arts and Reading/Social Studies 4-8

Domain II — Language Arts, Part II: Reading Comprehension and

Assessment, Reading Applications, Written Language, Viewing
and Representing and Study and Inquiry Skills

Competency 004 (Reading Comprehension and Assessment): The teacher

understands the importance of reading for understanding, knows components
and processes of reading comprehension and teaches students strategies for
improving their comprehension.

The beginning teacher:

A. Understands reading comprehension as an active process of constructing

meaning.
B. Understands the continuum of reading comprehension skills in the statewide
curriculum and grade-level expectations for these skills.
C. Understands factors affecting students’ reading comprehension (e.g., oral
language development, word analysis skills, prior knowledge, language
background, previous reading experiences, fluency, vocabulary development,
ability to monitor understanding, characteristics of specific texts).
D. Knows characteristics of informal and formal reading comprehension
assessments (e.g., criterion-referenced state tests, curriculum-based reading
assessments, informal reading inventories, norm-referenced tests).
E. Selects and uses appropriate informal and formal assessments to monitor
and evaluate students’ reading comprehension.
F. Analyzes student errors and provides focused instruction in reading
comprehension based on the strengths and needs of individual students,
including English-language learners.
G. Knows how to use ongoing assessment to determine when a student needs
additional help or intervention to bring the student’s performance to grade
level, based on state content and performance standards for reading in the
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).
H. Understands metacognitive skills, including self-evaluation and self-
monitoring skills and teaches students to use these skills to enhance their
own reading comprehension.
I. Knows how to determine students’ independent, instructional and frustration
reading levels and uses this information to select and adapt reading materials
for individual students, as well as to guide their selection of independent
reading materials.
J. Uses various instructional strategies to enhance students’ reading
comprehension (e.g., linking text content to students’ lives and prior
knowledge, connecting related ideas across different texts, engaging
TExES 113 English Language Arts and Reading/Social Studies 4-8

students in guided and independent reading, guiding students to generate

questions and apply knowledge of text topics).
K. Knows how to provide students with direct, explicit instruction in the use of
strategies to improve their reading comprehension (e.g., previewing, self-
monitoring, visualizing, retelling).
L. Uses various communication modes (e.g., written, oral) to promote students’
reading comprehension.
M. Understands levels of reading comprehension and how to model and teach
literal, inferential and evaluative comprehension skills.
N. Knows how to provide instruction to help students increase their reading
vocabulary.
O. Understands reading comprehension issues for students with different needs
and knows effective reading strategies for those students.
P. Knows the difference between guided and independent practice in reading
and provides students with frequent opportunities for both.
Q. Knows how to promote students’ development of an extensive reading and
writing vocabulary by providing them with many opportunities to read
and write.

Competency 005 (Reading Applications): The teacher understands reading skills

and strategies appropriate for various types of texts and contexts and teaches
students to apply those skills and strategies to enhance their reading proficiency.

The beginning teacher:

A. Understands skills and strategies for understanding, interpreting and

evaluating different types of written materials, including narratives,
expository texts, technical writing and content-area textbooks.
B. Understands different purposes for reading and related reading strategies.
C. Knows and teaches strategies to facilitate comprehension of different types of
text before, during and after reading (e.g., previewing, making predictions,
questioning, self-monitoring, rereading, mapping, using reading journals,
discussing texts).
D. Provides instruction in comprehension skills that support students’ transition
from “learning to read” to “reading to learn” (e.g., matching comprehension
strategies to different types of text and different purposes for reading).
E. Understands the importance of reading as a skill in all content areas.
F. Understands the value of using dictionaries, glossaries and other sources to
determine the meanings, pronunciations and derivations of unfamiliar words
and teaches students to use these sources.
G. Knows how to teach students to interpret information presented in various
TExES 113 English Language Arts and Reading/Social Studies 4-8

formats (e.g., maps, tables, graphs) and how to locate, retrieve and retain
information from a range of texts and technologies.
H. Knows how to help students comprehend abstract content and ideas in
written materials (e.g., by using manipulatives, examples, diagrams).
I. Knows literary genres (e.g., historical fiction, poetry, myths, fables) and
their characteristics.
J. Recognizes a wide range of literature and other texts appropriate for
students.
K. Provides multiple opportunities for students to listen and respond to a
wide variety of children’s and young people’s literature, both fiction and
nonfiction, and to recognize characteristics of various types of narrative
and expository texts.
L. Understands and promotes students’ development of literary response and
analysis, including teaching students elements of literary analysis (e.g., story
elements, features of different literary genres) and providing students with
opportunities to apply comprehension skills to literature.
M. Selects and uses a variety of materials to teach students about authors and
about different purposes for writing.
N. Provides students with opportunities to engage in silent reading and
extended reading of a wide range of materials, including expository texts
and various literary genres.
O. Engages students in varied reading experiences and encourages students to
interact with others about their reading.
P. Uses strategies to encourage reading for pleasure and lifelong learning.
Q. Knows how to teach students strategies for selecting their own books for
independent reading.
R. Uses technology to promote students’ literacy and teaches students
to use technology to access a wide range of appropriate narrative and
expository texts.

Competency 006 (Written Language — Writing Conventions): The teacher

understands the conventions of writing in English and provides instruction that
helps students develop proficiency in applying writing conventions.

The beginning teacher:

A. Knows predictable stages in the development of writing conventions

(including the physical and cognitive processes involved in letter formation,
word writing, sentence construction, spelling, punctuation and grammatical
expression) and recognizes that individual variations occur.
TExES 113 English Language Arts and Reading/Social Studies 4-8

B. Knows and applies appropriate instructional strategies and sequences to

teach writing conventions and their applications to all students, including
English-language learners.

C. Knows informal and formal procedures for assessing students’ use of writing
conventions and uses multiple, ongoing assessments to monitor and evaluate
students’ development in this area.
D. Uses ongoing assessment of writing conventions to determine when
a student needs additional help or intervention to bring the student’s
performance to grade level, based on state content and performance
standards for writing in the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).
E. Analyzes students’ errors in applying writing conventions and uses the results
of this analysis as a basis for future instruction.
F. Knows writing conventions and appropriate grammar and usage and provides
students with direct instruction and guided practice in these areas.
G. Understands the contribution of conventional spelling toward success in
reading and writing.
H. Understands stages of spelling development (prephonetic, phonetic,
transitional and conventional) and how and when to support students’
development from one stage to the next.
I. Provides systematic spelling instruction and gives students opportunities
to use and develop spelling skills in the context of meaningful written
expression.

Competency 007 (Written Language — Composition): The teacher understands that

writing to communicate is a developmental process and provides instruction that
promotes students’ competence in written communication.

The beginning teacher:

A. Knows predictable stages in the development of written language and

recognizes that individual variations occur.
B. Promotes student recognition of the practical uses of writing, creates an
environment in which students are motivated to express ideas in writing and
models writing as an enjoyable activity and a tool for lifelong learning.
C. Knows and applies appropriate instructional strategies and sequences to
develop students’ writing skills.
D. Knows characteristics and uses of informal and formal written language
assessments and uses multiple, ongoing assessments to monitor and
evaluate students’ writing development.
E. Uses assessment results to plan focused instruction to address the writing
strengths, needs and interests of all individuals and groups, including
TExES 113 English Language Arts and Reading/Social Studies 4-8

English-language learners.

F. Uses ongoing assessment of written language to determine when a student

needs additional help or intervention to bring the student’s performance to
grade level, based on state content and performance standards for writing in
the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).
G. Understands the use of self-assessment in writing and provides opportunities
for students to self-assess their writings (e.g., for clarity, interest to
audience, comprehensiveness) and their development as writers.
H. Understands differences between first-draft writing and writing for publication
and provides instruction in various stages of writing, including prewriting,
drafting, editing and revising.
I. Understands the development of writing in relation to the other language
arts and uses instructional strategies that connect these various aspects
of language.
J. Understands similarities and differences between language (e.g., syntax,
vocabulary) used in spoken and written English and helps students use
knowledge of these similarities and differences to enhance their own writing.
K. Understands writing for a variety of audiences, purposes and settings and
provides students with opportunities to write for various audiences, purposes
and settings.
L. Knows how to write using voices and styles appropriate for different
audiences and purposes, and provides students with opportunities to write
using various voices and styles.
M. Understands the benefits of technology for teaching writing and writing for
publication and provides instruction in the use of technology to facilitate
written communication.

Competency 008 (Viewing and Representing): The teacher understands skills for
interpreting, analyzing, evaluating and producing visual images and messages
in various media and provides students with opportunities to develop skills in
this area.

The beginning teacher:

A. Knows grade-level expectations in the Texas Essential Knowledge and

Skills (TEKS) and procedures for assessing students’ skills in interpreting,
analyzing, evaluating and producing visual images, messages and meanings.
B. Uses ongoing assessment and knowledge of grade-level expectations in the
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) to identify students’ needs
regarding the interpretation, analysis, evaluation and production of visual
images, messages and meanings and to plan instruction.
TExES 113 English Language Arts and Reading/Social Studies 4-8

C. Understands characteristics and functions of different types of media

(e.g., film, print) and knows how different types of media influence
and inform.
D. Compares and contrasts print, visual and electronic media (e.g., films and
written stories).
E. Evaluates how visual image makers (e.g., illustrators, documentary
filmmakers, political cartoonists, news photographers) represent messages
and meanings and provides students with varied opportunities to interpret
and evaluate visual images in various media.
F. Knows how to teach students to analyze visual image makers’ choices
(e.g., style, elements, media) and evaluate how these choices help to
represent or extend meaning.
G. Provides students with opportunities to interpret events and ideas based on
information from maps, charts, graphics, video segments and technology
presentations and to use media to compare ideas and points of view.
H. Knows steps and procedures for producing visual images, messages and
meanings to communicate with others.
I. Teaches students how to select, organize and produce visuals to complement
and extend meanings.
J. Provides students with opportunities to use technology to produce various
types of communications (e.g., class newspapers, multimedia reports, video
reports) and helps students analyze how language, medium and presentation
contribute to the message.

Competency 009 (Study and Inquiry Skills): The teacher understands the
importance of study and inquiry skills as tools for learning in the content areas
and promotes students’ development in applying study and inquiry skills.

The beginning teacher:

A. Understands study and inquiry skills (e.g., using text organizers; taking
notes; outlining; drawing conclusions; applying test-taking strategies;
previewing; setting purposes for reading; locating, organizing, evaluating
and communicating information; summarizing information; using
multiple sources of information; interpreting and using graphic sources
of information) and knows the significance of these skills for student
learning and achievement.
B. Knows grade-level expectations for study and inquiry skills in the Texas
Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and procedures for assessing
students’ development and use of these skills.
TExES 113 English Language Arts and Reading/Social Studies 4-8

C. Knows and applies instructional practices that promote the acquisition and
use of study and inquiry skills across the curriculum by all students, including
English-language learners.
D. Knows how to provide students with varied and meaningful opportunities to
learn and apply study and inquiry skills to enhance their achievement across
the curriculum.
E. Uses ongoing assessment and knowledge of grade-level expectations in the
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) to identify students’ needs
regarding study and inquiry skills, to determine when a student requires
additional help or intervention, and to plan instruction.
F. Responds to students’ needs by providing direct, explicit instruction to
promote the acquisition and use of study and inquiry skills.

Domain III — Social Studies Content

Competency 015 (History): The teacher understands and applies knowledge of

significant historical events and developments, multiple historical interpretations
and ideas and relationships between the past, the present and the future, as
defined by the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).

The beginning teacher:

A. Understands traditional historical points of reference in the history of Texas,

the United States and the world.
B. Analyzes how individuals, events, and issues shaped the history of Texas, the
United States and the world.
C. Analyzes the influence of various factors (e.g., geographic contexts,
processes of spatial exchange, science and technology) on the development
of societies.
D. Knows common characteristics of communities, past and present.
E. Applies knowledge of the concept of chronology and its use in understanding
history and historical events.
F. Applies different methods of interpreting the past to understand, evaluate,
and support multiple points of view, frames of reference and the historical
context of events and issues.
G. Understands similarities and differences among Native American groups in
Texas, the United States and the Western Hemisphere before European
colonization.
H. Understands the causes and effects of European exploration and colonization
of Texas, the United States and the Western Hemisphere.
TExES 113 English Language Arts and Reading/Social Studies 4-8

I. Understands the impact of individuals, events and issues on the exploration

of Texas (e.g., Cabeza de Vaca, Alonso Álvarez de Pineda, Francisco
Coronado, la Salle, the search for gold, conflicting territorial claims between
France and Spain).
J. Identify important events, issues and individuals related to European
colonization of Texas; Mexico becoming an independent nation, including the
establishment of Catholic missions, towns and ranches (e.g., Fray Damián
Massanet, José de Escandón, Antonio Margil de Jesús, Francisco Hidalgo, the
Mexican Federal Constitution of 1824, and the State Colonization Law of
1825).
K. Understands the foundations of representative government in the United
States; significant individuals, events and issues of the revolutionary era;
and challenges confronting the U.S. government in the early years of the
republic (e.g., Mayflower Compact, Virginia Houses of burgesses, John
Adams, Abigail Adams, George Washington, Crispus Attucks, Battle of
Saratoga, winter at Valley Forge, Battle of Yorktown, the arguments of the
Federalists and Anti-Federalists, Articles of Confederation, United States
Constitution, War of 1812).
L. Demonstrates knowledge of the individuals, events and issues related to the
independence of Texas, the founding of the Republic of Texas and Texas
statehood (e.g., Moses Austin, Samuel Houston, Erasmo Seguín, Antonio
López de Santa Anna, the Fredonian Rebellion, the Battle of the Alamo, the
Battle of San Jacinto, the annexation of Texas, the U.S.-Mexican War).
M. Understands westward expansion and analyzes its effects on the political,
economic and social development of the United States and Texas, including
its effects on American Indian life (e.g., Louisiana Purchase, Monroe
Doctrine, building of U.S. forts, the destruction of the buffalo, Indian
Removal Act, Trail of Tears, Red River Indian War).
N. Analyzes ways in which political, economic and social factors led to the
growth of sectionalism and the Civil War (e.g., nullification crisis,
Compromise of 1850, the roles of John Quincy Adams, John C. Calhoun,
Henry Clay and Daniel Webster).
O. Demonstrates knowledge of individuals, issues and events of the Civil War
and analyzes the effects of Reconstruction on the political, economic and
social life of the nation and Texas (e.g., Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis,
John Bell Hood, Vicksburg Campaign, Battle of Gettysburg, Emancipation
Proclamation, Battle of Galveston, Battle of Palmito Ranch).
P. Demonstrates knowledge of major U.S. and Texas reform movements of the
nineteenth and twentieth centuries (e.g., abolition movement, women
suffrage movement, temperance movement, Civil Rights movement, agrarian
groups, labor unions, James L. Farmer, Jr., Jane Addams, Hector Pérez
García, Oveta Culp Hobby, the League of United Latin American Citizens
(LULAC), the evangelical movement).
Q. Understands important issues, events and individuals of the twentieth and
TExES 113 English Language Arts and Reading/Social Studies 4-8

twenty-first centuries that shaped the role of Texas in the United States and
the world (e.g., Great Depression, First and Second World Wars, Civil Rights
movement, Lyndon B. Johnson, emergence of a two-party system, political
and economic controversies, immigration, migration).
R. Understands and traces the impact of boom-and-bust cycles of leading Texas
industries (e.g., railroads, cattle, oil and gas, colon, real estate, banking,
computer technology).
S. Understands the contributions of people of various racial, ethnic and religious
groups in Texas, the United States and the world.
T. Analyzes ways in which particular contemporary societies reflect historical
events (e.g., invasions, conquests, colonizations, immigrations)

Competency 016 (Geography): The teacher understands and applies knowledge of

geographic relationships involving people, places and environments in Texas, the
United States and the world, as defined by the Texas Essential Knowledge and
Skills (TEKS).

The beginning teacher:

A. Understands and applies the geographic concept of region.

B. Knows how to create and use geographic tools and translate geographic data
into a variety of formats (e.g., grid systems, legends, scales, databases,
construction of maps, graphs, charts, models).
C. Knows the location and the human and physical characteristics of places and
regions in Texas, the United States and the world.
D. Analyzes ways in which humans adapt to, use and modify the physical
environment.
E. Knows how regional physical characteristics and human modifications to the
environment affect people's activities and settlement patterns.
F. Analyzes ways in which location (absolute and relative) affects people, places
and environments.
G. Demonstrates knowledge of physical processes (e.g., erosion, deposition,
and weathering; plate tectonics; sediment transfer; the flows and exchanges
of energy and matter in the atmosphere that produce weather and climate)
and their effects on environmental patterns.
H. Understands the characteristics, distribution and migration of populations in
Texas, the United States and the world.
I. Understands the physical environmental characteristics of Texas, the United
States and the world, past and present, and how humans have adapted to
and modified the environment (e.g., air and water quality, building of dams,
TExES 113 English Language Arts and Reading/Social Studies 4-8

use of natural resources, the impact on habitats and wildlife).

J. Analyzes how geographic factors have influenced the settlement patterns,
economic and social development, political relationships and policies of
societies and regions in Texas, the United States and the world (e.g., the
Galveston hurricane of 1900, the Dust Bowl, limited water resources,
alternative energy sources).
K. Analyzes interactions between people and the physical environment and the
effects of these interactions on the development of places and regions.
L. Understands comparisons among various world regions and countries (e.g.,
aspects of population, disease and economic activities) by analyzing maps,
charts, databases and models.

Competency 017 (Economics): The teacher understands and applies knowledge of

economic systems and how people organize economic systems to produce,
distribute and consume goods and services, as defined by the Texas Essential
Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).

The beginning teacher:

A. Understands that basic human needs are met in many ways.

B. Understands and applies knowledge of basic economic concepts (e.g., goods
and services, free enterprise, interdependence, needs and wants, scarcity,
economic system, factors of production).
C. Demonstrates knowledge of the ways in which people organize economic
systems, and similarities and differences among various economic systems
around the world.
D. Understands the value and importance of work and purposes for spending
and saving money.
E. Demonstrates knowledge of occupational patterns and economic activities in
Texas, the United States and the world, past and present (e.g., the
plantation system, the spread of slavery, industrialization and urbanization,
transportation, the American ideals of progress, equality of opportunity).
F. Understands the characteristics, benefits and development of the free-
enterprise system in Texas and the United States.
G. Analyzes the roles of producers and consumers in the production of goods
and services.
H. Understands the effects of government regulation and taxation on economic
development.
I. Demonstrates knowledge of how businesses operate in the U.S. free-
enterprise system and international markets (e.g., government regulation,
TExES 113 English Language Arts and Reading/Social Studies 4-8

world competition, the importance of morality and ethics in maintaining a

functional enterprise system).Applies knowledge of the effects of supply and
demand on consumers and producers in a free-enterprise system.
J. Applies knowledge of the effects of supply and demand on consumers and
producers in a free-enterprise system.
K. Demonstrates knowledge of categories of economic activities and methods
used to measure a society's economic level.
L. Uses economic indicators to describe and measure levels of economic
activity.
M. Understands the causes of major events and trends in economic history
(e.g., factors leading societies to change from agrarian to urban, economic
reasons for exploration and colonization, economic forces leading to the
Industrial Revolution, processes of economic development in world areas,
factors leading to the emergence of different patterns in jobs, economic
activity in Texas, the United States, and the world.
N. Analyzes the interdependence of Texas, United States and world economies.
O. Understands how geographic factors such as immigration, migration,
location, climate and limited resources have influenced the development of
economic activities in Texas, the United States, and the world.
P. Applies knowledge of significant economic events and issues and their effects
in Texas, in the United States and the world.

Competency 018 (Government and Citizenship): The teacher understands and

applies knowledge of government, democracy and citizenship, including ways in
which individuals and groups achieve their goals through political systems, as
defined by the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).

The beginning teacher:

A. Demonstrates knowledge of the historical origins of democratic forms of

government, such as ancient Greece.
B. Understands the purpose of rules and laws; the relationship between rules,
rights and responsibilities; and the individual's role in making and enforcing
rules and ensuring the welfare of society.
C. Knows the basic structure and functions of the U.S. government, the Texas
government and local governments (including the roles of public officials)
and relationships among national, state and local governments.
D. Demonstrates knowledge of key principles and ideas in major political
documents of Texas and the United States (e.g., Articles of Confederation,
Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, Texas Constitution) and
relationships among political documents.
E. Understands early6 United States political issues, including those surrounding
TExES 113 English Language Arts and Reading/Social Studies 4-8

Alexander Hamilton, Patrick Henry, James Madison, George Mason; the

arguments of the Federalists and Anti-Federalists; states’ rights issues; and
the nullification crisis.
F. Knows how American Indian groups and settlers organized governments in
precolonial America, and during the early development of Texas and North
America.

G. Demonstrates knowledge of how state and local governments use sources of

revenue such as property tax and sales tax, and the funding of Texas public
education.
H. Demonstrates knowledge of types of government (e.g., constitutional,
totalitarian), and their effectiveness in meeting citizens’ needs and the
reasons for limiting the power of government.
I. Knows the formal and informal process of changing the U.S. and Texas
constitutions and the impact of changes on society.
J. Understands the impact of landmark Supreme Court cases (e.g., Marbury v.
Madison, Dred Scott v. Sandford, McCulloch v. Maryland, Gibbons v. Ogden).
K. Understands components of the democratic process (e.g., voting, contacting
local and state representatives, voluntary individual participation, effective
leadership, expression of different points of view) and their significance in a
democratic society.
L. Demonstrates knowledge of important customs, symbols, landmarks and
celebrations that represent American and Texan beliefs and principles and
that contribute to national unity (e.g., Uncle Sam, “The Star-Spangled
Banner,” the San Jacinto Monument, “Texas, our Texas”).
M. Demonstrates knowledge of the importance, accomplishments and leadership
qualities of United States and Texas leaders (e.g., Presidents Washington,
Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Lincoln; U.S. senators Calhoun,
Webster, Clay; Texas governors and local Texas representatives).
N. Analyzes the relationship among individual rights, responsibilities and
freedoms in democratic societies.
O. Applies knowledge of the nature, rights and responsibilities of citizens in
Texas, the United States, and various societies, past and present.
P. Understands the contributions and importance of political figures, members
of Congress, military leaders and social reformers who modeled active
participation in the democratic process in Texas and in the United States
(e.g., Frederick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony, Sam Houston, Barbara Jordan,
Henry B. González, Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Audie Murphy, William Carney,
Philip Bazaar).
TExES 113 English Language Arts and Reading/Social Studies 4-8

Competency 019 (Culture; Science, Technology and Society): The teacher

understands and applies knowledge of cultural development, adaptation and
diversity, and understands and applies knowledge of interactions among science,
technology and society, as defined by the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills
(TEKS).

The beginning teacher:

A. Understands basic concepts of culture and the processes of cultural

adaptation, diffusion and exchange.
B. Analyzes similarities and differences in the ways various peoples at different
times in history have lived and met basic human needs.
C. Applies knowledge of the role of families in meeting basic human needs and
how families and cultures develop and use customs, traditions and beliefs to
define themselves.
D. Demonstrates knowledge of institutions that exist in all societies and how
characteristics of these institutions may vary among societies.
E. Understands how people use oral tradition, stories, real and mythical heroes,
music, paintings and sculpture to create and represent culture in
communities in Texas, the United States and the world.
F. Demonstrates knowledge of significant examples of art, music and literature
from various periods in U.S. and Texas history (e.g., John James Audubon,
Henry David Thoreau, transcendentalism, the painting American Progress,
“Yankee Doodle,” “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” Amado Peña, Diane
Gonzales Bertrand, Scott Joplin).
G. Understands the universal themes found in the arts and their relationship
with the times and societies in which they are produced, including how
contemporary issues influence creative expressions and how the arts can
transcend the boundaries of societies (e.g., religion, justice, the passage of
time).
H. Understands the contributions of people of various racial ethnic and religious
groups in Texas, the United States and the world.
I. Demonstrates knowledge of relationships among world cultures and
relationships between and among people from various groups, including
racial, ethnic and religious groups, in the United States and throughout the
world.
J. Analyzes relationships among religion, philosophy and culture, and the
impact of religion on ways of life in the United States and throughout the
world.
K. Understands the concept of diversity within unity.
L. Analyzes the effects of race, gender, socioeconomic class, status and
stratification on ways of life in the United States and throughout the world.
TExES 113 English Language Arts and Reading/Social Studies 4-8

M. Understands the various roles of men, women, children and families in

cultures past and present.
N. Understands how the self develops and the dynamic relationship between self
and social context.
O. Demonstrates knowledge of the discoveries, technological innovations and
accomplishments of notable inventors and individuals in the field of science
from the United States, Texas and the world (e.g., Benjamin Franklin, Eli
Whitney, Cyrus McCormick, Thomas Alva Edison, Alexander Graham Bell,
Michael DeBakey, Millie Hughes-Fulford, Walter Cunningham, Denton Cooley,
Michael Dell).
P. Applies knowledge of the effects of scientific discoveries and technological
innovations on political, economic, social and environmental developments
and on everyday life in Texas, the United States and the world in the past,
present and future.
Q. Analyzes how science and technology relate to political, economic, social and
cultural issues and events.
R. Demonstrates knowledge of the origins, diffusions and effects of major
scientific, mathematical and technological discoveries throughout history.
S. Knows how developments in science and technology have affected the
physical environment; the growth of economies and societies; and definitions
of, access to and use of physical and human resources.
T. Knows how changes in science and technology affect moral and ethical
issues.

Domain V — Social Studies Foundations, Skills and Instruction

Competency 020 (Social Studies Foundations and Skills): The teacher understands
the foundations of social studies education and applies knowledge of skills used in
the social sciences.

The beginning teacher:

A. Understands the philosophical foundations of the social science disciplines

and knows how knowledge generated by the social sciences affects society
and people's lives.
B. Understands how social science disciplines relate to each other.
C. Understands practical applications of social studies education.
D. Relates philosophical assumptions and ideas to issues and trends in the social
sciences.
E. Knows characteristics and uses of various primary and secondary sources
(e.g., databases, maps, photographs, media services, the Internet,
biographies, interviews, questionnaires, artifacts) and uses information from
TExES 113 English Language Arts and Reading/Social Studies 4-8

a variety of sources to acquire social science information and answer social

science questions.
F. Knows how to formulate research questions and use appropriate procedures
to reach supportable judgments and conclusions in the social sciences.
G. Understands social science research and knows how social scientists locate,
gather, organize, analyze and report information using standard research
methodologies.
H. Evaluates the validity of social science information from primary and
secondary sources regarding bias issues, propaganda, point of view and
frame of reference.
I. Understands and evaluates multiple points of view and frames of reference
relating to issues in the social sciences.
J. Knows how to analyze social science information (e.g., by categorizing,
comparing and contrasting, making generalizations and predictions, drawing
inferences and conclusions).
K. Communicates and interprets social science information in written, oral and
visual forms and translates information from one medium to another (e.g.,
written to visual, statistical to written or visual).
L. Uses standard grammar, spelling, sentence structure, punctuation and
proper citation of sources.
M. Knows how to use problem-solving processes to identify problems, gather
information, list and consider options, consider advantages and
disadvantages, choose and implement solutions and evaluate the
effectiveness of solutions.
N. Knows how to use decision-making processes to identify situations that
require decisions, gather information, identify options, predict consequences
and take action to implement decisions.
O. Knows how to create maps and other graphics to present geographic,
political, historical, economic and cultural feathers, distributions, and
relationships.
P. Analyzes social science data by suing basic mathematical and statistical
concepts and analytical methods.
Q. Knows how to apply skills for resolving conflict, including persuasion,
compromise, debate and negotiation.
R. Understands and uses social studies terminology correctly.
TExES 113 English Language Arts and Reading/Social Studies 4-8

Competency 021 (Social Studies Instruction and Assessment): The teacher plans
and implements effective instruction and assessment in social studies.

The beginning teacher:

A. Knows state content and performance standards for social studies that
comprise the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).
B. Understands the vertical alignment of the social sciences in the Texas
Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) from grade level to grade level,
including prerequisite knowledge and skills.
C. Understands the implications of stages of child growth and development for
designing and implementing effective learning experiences in the social
sciences.
D. Understands the appropriate use of technology as a tool for learning and
communicating social studies concepts.
E. Selects and uses effective instructional practices, activities, technologies and
materials to promote students’ knowledge and skills in the social sciences.
F. Knows how to promote students’ use of social science skills, vocabulary and
research tools, including technological tools.
G. Knows how to communicate the value of social studies education to students,
parents/caregivers, colleagues and the community.
H. Knows how to provide instruction that relates skills, concepts and ideas in
different social science disciplines.
I. Provides instruction that makes connections between knowledge and
methods in the social sciences and in other content areas.
J. Demonstrates knowledge of forms of assessment appropriate for evaluating
students’ progress and needs in the social sciences.
K. Uses multiple forms of assessment and knowledge of the Texas Essential
Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) to determine students’ progress and needs and
to help plan instruction that addresses the strengths, needs and interests of
all students, including English Language Learners.